It cost more than £1.4 million to hunt down ex-conshotgun killer Raoul Moat.
Northumbria Police released the figures for the seven-day manhunt which included officers from 18 forces and was one of the largest ever undertaken in Britain.
Moat, 37, shot his ex-girlfriend Samantha Stobbart in Birtley, Gateshead, after killing her new boyfriend Chris Brown. Less than 24 hours later he blinded unarmed officer Pc David Rathband.
Moat then hid in Rothbury, Northumberland, where he killed himself a week after the Birtley shootings when he was cornered by police.
Northumbria Police said it had received numerous requests to reveal the cost of the search, known as Operation Bulwark.
It said the current figure stands at more than £1.4 million, though that could still rise because of on-going proceedings.
Two men are currently on trial at Newcastle Crown Court accused of assisting Moat’s murderous rampage. They deny all charges against them.
There will also be costs associated with an inquest into Moat’s death, which has been investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
The current cost is £1,411,354. This includes £460,062 in payments to other forces for the assistance of their officers; £585,406 for overtime carried out by Northumbria Police staff while the manhunt was ongoing; a further £93,110 in overtime since then and a further £272,776 in other costs. These include forensic science services, fuel and specialist equipment.
Meabwhile, the mother of Karl ness, one of the men on trial told the court: “I told the police Karl was a bit of a loner. He didn’t have regular friends except for Raoul Moat.
“He did a lot of work for Raoul. I felt on the one hand Karl admired Raoul, but on the other hand he also feared him.”
She added: “If Karl mentioned Raoul, I would say ‘Don’t go. You don’t have anything to do with him’ because I didn’t think he was any good. Karl took no notice, he just said ‘It’s OK, Mam’.”
